What's So Civil About War, Anyway?
by darthelwig
Summary: Wanda and Pepper get mixed up in the events of Civil War. Sequel to "I Found Love (Where It Wasn't Supposed To Be)" and "Interlude". Follows the story line of CA:CW pretty closely.


"What's So Civil About War, Anyway?"

By darthelwig

* * *

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

A/N: Thank you to redromanova for getting me through the writing of this.

Also, hello and thank you to CrescentSnowPack for the most amazing comments ever. If you are reading this, I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Wanda bustled about the apartment, gathering things together at the last minute as she tended to do. She really should've stayed at the Avengers facility last night since they were leaving for a mission today, but they'd both wanted to be together since there was no telling how long this one would last. A day? Two? More? Who knew. The time frame in the information they'd received had been pretty vague. All they really knew for certain was that Brock Rumlow would be in Lagos for a mission, so the Avengers would be as well.

"Have you seen my jacket?" Wanda called out. Pepper sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and grinned behind her coffee cup, watching her girlfriend's frantic search of the living room for a moment before answering.

"You mean the one sitting right here next to me? Where you put it for safekeeping, of course." Pepper laughed as Wanda huffed and slipped it on. She looked absolutely adorable with her cheeks flushed from running all over the place, stressing because she would probably be late and Cap would be none too happy.

"I should have gotten all of this ready last night, but someone kept me busy," Wanda said, pouting. "I will blame you when Cap yells at me."

"You do that. Tell him it was worth it. Making you come three times in one night is always worth it," Pepper said, giving her a wink. Wanda laughed.

"Yes. I am sure that will shut him up quickly." She leaned in for a quick kiss, but Pepper wasn't gonna let her get away that easily. She put her cup down and pulled Wanda in so she could taste her properly. Even after months together, Pepper found herself in constant need of Wanda's touch.

Her body absolutely tingled when Wanda moaned into her mouth, right straight to her core. Which really sucked, because they had zero time to indulge.

"You are going to get me fired from the Avengers at this rate," Wanda said, pulling away, but she dropped another sweet kiss on Pepper's lips.

"Be careful. Come back safe," Pepper told her.

"Always."

* * *

Pepper was horrified. She stared at the tv and wondered what the hell had gone so wrong. How had the Avengers' pursuit of Rumlow ended in an explosion and innocent deaths? And why was Wanda being blamed? Wanda didn't cause _explosions_. That's not how she _worked_.

God, she wanted to call Wanda so badly, but they were still under radio silence until further notice, so she had to be patient and wait for Wanda to contact her. Even if it killed her a little inside each minute she spent imagining what her girlfriend was going through right now. She just prayed Wanda was okay. There was very little concrete information right now.

Her phone rang and she snatched it up.

"Wanda?"

" _Pepper,"_ Wanda said, her voice shaky and soft. _"You saw."_

"I'm watching the news, but they don't really know what happened yet. Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" She listened to Wanda take a slow, deep breath.

" _We are all fine. I am unhurt. But people died, Pepper. I killed people. It was an accident. I never wanted to..."_ Wanda started to cry, and Pepper teared up right along with her.

"I'm sure you did everything you could. I _know_ you did. It's okay," she said, but the words sounded weak even to her own ears. Wanda sniffled and she could tell she was trying to control herself, to reign in her emotions. That would lead nowhere good, but Pepper wouldn't say anything quite yet. She'd talk to her face to face, where she could hold her and offer love and comfort that Wanda could actually _feel_.

" _Regardless, I failed, and others paid the price,"_ Wanda said flatly. _"I am headed back to the facility. I do not know when I can come home. Steve says it is better if I remain with the team for now."_

Well that was... fucked, but Steve was team leader and had every right to make that decision. Even if Pepper hated it.

"I'm here if you need me," she told Wanda, her voice fierce. "For anything. And the moment you can come home, you tell me and I'll come get you." She'd be at Wanda's side in a heartbeat.

" _I love you, Pepper. I have to go."_

"I love you too. Take care of yourself and if you want to talk, I'm here."

" _Thank you."_

Pepper spent a long time staring at the phone after they hung up.

* * *

Over a week. She'd gone over a week without Wanda by her side, unable to touch or see her, unable to bury her face in Wanda's hair and inhale the scent of her that had so quickly come to mean home. The apartment felt colder without Wanda's presence, emptier. She dreaded returning to it every night.

She'd resigned herself to another lonely, restless night when she heard keys in the lock, and then Wanda was there. _She was there_ , and Pepper had her in her arms in an instant.

"Oh my god," she breathed as Wanda trembled against her. "I can't believe you're back. Is everything okay? I could've picked you up. Jesus." She knew she was going too fast, but she couldn't stop.

"You could not have picked me up. I am not supposed to be here, but I miss you so much. I needed to come home," Wanda said shakily. Pepper was thrilled to have her back where she belonged, but one thing caught in her mind.

"You snuck out of the compound?" she asked incredulously. "Oh, they are gonna be so pissed." She didn't really care, though. Let them be angry. Wanda obviously needed her, and that was all that mattered.

Well, that plus the fact she only felt alive again when Wanda walked through the door. But that wasn't something anyone else needed to know.

She pressed a soft kiss to Wanda's lips and shivered when Wanda deepened it immediately.

"I do not wish to talk about the others," Wanda said breathlessly when she finally broke their kiss. The heat in her eyes had Pepper suddenly weak in the knees, and she let Wanda take her hand and pull her down the hallway to their bedroom.

"Are you sure this is what you want right now?" was all she asked. Wanda shot her a hungry look as she stripped her dress off and dropped it to the floor. Pepper couldn't look away, feeling suddenly like it was their first time all over again, completely taken with her girlfriend's beauty.

"You are my greatest comfort," Wanda said simply, and that was really all Pepper needed to hear.

* * *

Natasha arrived bright and early the next morning. Well, Pepper supposed she had arrived that morning instead of waiting all night, since she was already in the apartment when they got up.

"Jesus, Nat. You scared me half to death!" Pepper exclaimed upon seeing her sitting at their breakfast bar.

"Sorry?" Nat said, not sounding sorry at all.

"You are here for me," Wanda said. She slid her arms around Pepper's waist, and Pepper could feel the tension in Wanda's body.

"I thought that was obvious," Nat replied.

"I thought Steve would come."

"I'm less conspicuous," she said matter of factly. "You're supposed to be at the compound, Wanda. You can't be sneaking out to go to your girlfriend's house."

"This is her _home_ ," Pepper said, offended. What the hell? She thought Natasha understood their commitment to each other. She'd even told her she approved!

"I knew I would have to return," Wanda said, giving her a little squeeze before letting her go. Pepper stared at Wanda, wide-eyed and disbelieving. Wanda refused to meet her gaze. "I will get dressed."

Anger bubbled up in Pepper at the way Wanda was being treated, anger at the whole stupid situation that was keeping them apart.

"Tell me the truth, Nat. What the hell is going on?" she demanded. She kept her voice low, though. "This is crazy." Nat looked at her sympathetically.

"I can't go into the details," she said, "but believe me when I say Wanda is safest with us. There are a lot of people out there, a lot of powerful people, who are very... concerned about what happened. Tony's working on it, but it's better for everyone if Wanda is where we can keep tabs on her." Pepper had nothing to say to that, and silence hung between them until Natasha looked past her.

"You ready?" she asked Wanda, who nodded.

"Hey," Pepper said, turning Wanda to face her. "Look at me," she coaxed. When Wanda finally met her gaze, Pepper gave her what she hoped was a confident smile. "We'll be back together soon," she said. Wanda nodded.

"I love you," she told Pepper, reaching up to caress her face with slim, graceful fingers.

"I love you too, gorgeous," she said. Wanda rolled her eyes but smiled, and Pepper counted that as a win.

Their parting kiss was all too brief, leaving loneliness in its wake, and Pepper sighed against the hollowed out feeling that had taken up residence in her chest again. Tony had better work some of his Stark magic soon or she was gonna lose her mind.

* * *

Pepper kept her phone near to hand to keep Wanda as close as possible while they both waited for something to give. Tony wasn't taking her calls and had become surprisingly adept at avoiding her, so she couldn't wring any information out of him, and Wanda herself had little to no news about what was happening. No one was talking, and that was never good.

But there was nothing either of them could do about it, so they tried to focus on other things. They had long conversations about anything and everything. She would listen while Wanda talked about her guilt and Wanda listened while she vented about her day. Wanda played guitar for her in the evening. Thank goodness she still kept a room at the Avengers compound, so she had most of her things available. There was even a night of amazing phone sex where, with Wanda's accented voice close in her ear, Pepper could almost pretend she was there. All of it helped.

And then Wanda called sounding more upset than she'd heard her since Lagos had happened.

"Hold on," she said, dismissing her assistant with a wave. "What are you talking about? Slow down."

" _The Avengers are to be put under control of the United Nations, Pepper. We have to sign these stupid rules or we cannot be Avengers anymore. They want to control us, make us their attack dogs,"_ Wanda growled.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad, Wanda. Governments always like to have control over things, but 'attack dogs'? Don't you think that's going a little far?"

" _I have been controlled before. I do not wish to be so again,"_ Wanda snapped. _"Steve does not like it either."_

Pepper couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Steve is stubborn and likes to have things his own way," Pepper told her. "I swear he gets more set in his ways every day." Of course Steve wouldn't want to give up control. Who would? Maybe he'd had things his own way for too long.

" _You have not seen these Sokovia Accords, Pepper. You do not know..."_ Wanda's voice trailed off, and Pepper let her have the time to collect herself. _"They want us to register as 'enhanced individuals.' I would have to submit to testing and let them track me. If I break the law, they can lock me up and keep me for as long as they want without recourse! Is this what your country claims is freedom?"_

Pepper frowned. That... couldn't be right.

" _If I do not sign,"_ Wanda continued, _"I cannot continue as an Avenger, I cannot keep trying to make amends for the things I have done. I will not be allowed to help people. This was something I promised to do."_ Promised in Pietro's memory, Pepper knew. Wanda had told her all about it, about how it helped her cope. _"But must I sign away my freedom to do what is right?"_

"I'm sorry," Pepper sighed. "I understand why you'd have some reservations. God, how did this happen?" Where the hell had this legislation come from?

" _Ask Stark,"_ Wanda said bitterly. It had been a long time since Wanda had referred to Tony like that, and it made Pepper's skin crawl.

"What about Tony?" she asked, afraid she already knew the answer.

" _He knew all about it. He is the one who brought Secretary Ross and his Accords to us. He tells us this is the only way. Ask Stark if you want answers."_

"I will." She wasn't going to let Tony get away from her this time, goddamn it.

" _And Pepper?"_ Wanda said, her voice sounding smaller now, scared. It triggered every protective instinct Pepper had.

"Yeah?"

" _If I do not sign, I think they will come for me. I have killed people."_

The idea of that froze the blood in her veins. She didn't want to believe their government would do such a thing, but the queasy feeling in her stomach spoke volumes.

"No," Pepper said, shaking her head. "None of that was your fault."

" _People are still dead because of my actions,"_ Wanda said sadly.

"It wasn't your fault, and I won't let anyone hurt you," she said fiercely, startling herself and apparently Wanda too, because she was quiet. "Give me some time. I'm gonna talk to Tony and see what I can do." She couldn't let anything happen to Wanda. She couldn't.

" _The Accords are to be signed in three days. I will tell them I am undecided,"_ Wanda said softly. _"Pepper... If something happens to me..."_

"No. Absolutely not. We are not talking like that."

" _But-"_

" _No_ , Wanda. I'm not having this conversation with you. Everything is going to be fine." She refused to entertain the idea that it wouldn't be. She was Pepper Potts, damn it. She would handle this.

" _Alright,"_ Wanda sighed.

* * *

She finally cornered Tony in his office at Stark Tower.

"Tony Stark," she called out sharply, making him jump and turn swiftly to face her. "You've been avoiding my calls."

"I really don't know what you're talking about. I've just been super busy, What with this whole Lagos situation and all. I'm not avoiding you!" He might've even seemed sincere to someone not her, but she knew better. "What can I do for you, Pep?"

"You can tell me exactly how long you've known about the Sokovia Accords, for starters. Nat told me you were looking into ways to fix the situation and help Wanda. How is this helping?"

"Look, Pepper. This was gonna happen sooner or later. The government's been looking for ways to gain the upper hand for a long time. Remember them trying to take my suits? It was always gonna come to this. We were just living on borrowed time," he said defensively. Tony sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, and Pepper suddenly realized how very tired he looked. Tired and... worn.

"Lagos was the last straw," he continued. "The whole world thinks the team has too much power and autonomy, and not enough accountability, and now there's this legislation to make the Avengers a government-run agency overseen by the UN rather than a private organization. And you know what I find myself thinking? Man, that doesn't sound so bad. If it can stop someone down the line from doing something crazy like, I don't know, building a murder-bot, maybe it's not so bad. Maybe the world is right to fear us."

"Tony," Pepper said, staring at him. "It sounds like you're talking about yourself. Your guilt. But this happens to involve more than just you. Innocent people-"

"I'm protecting the innocent!" Tony yelled, startling Pepper enough to make her take a step back.

"Wanda-"

"I hate to break it to you, but Wanda isn't innocent, Pep." Tony snorted. "She worked with Ultron, against the Avengers, if you remember. She helped Ultron nearly destroy the world!"

Pepper stared at Tony in shock for a long moment before she could find the words.

"I can't believe you. Wanda's trying to make up for the mistakes she's made, just like you, Tony. Maybe that's the problem, though. You see too much of yourself in her, so you'll never forgive. Just like you've never forgiven yourself."

Tony flinched and couldn't seem to look at her. He looked like he wanted a drink, honestly. She knew that look. But his voice was steady when he spoke.

"You need to keep your head down while the Accords are settled and put into motion," he said. Pepper was totally confused.

"Why? What do I have to do with anything?"

"Extremis, Pepper." And now Tony sounded nervous. Unsure of himself. "I neutralized it, sure, but it's still there, still in your bloodstream. Technically, you're an 'enhanced individual' and they don't get a whole lot of protections under the Accords. And no, before you ask, I had nothing to do with that."

He looked at her, and all Pepper could see was a man drowning. A man she still cared about and would always love. Pepper wrapped him in her arms.

"I'm trying my best," he told her.

"I believe you," she said. And she did, but it just didn't help.

* * *

Pepper laid back on the couch and propped her feet up on the armrest, phone to her ear. Her feet hurt from being in heels all day, she had a headache she couldn't shake, and she hadn't eaten in way too long, but none of that mattered with Wanda's voice so close.

" _I am a prisoner. I do not want to be here. I want to come home,"_ Wanda said forcefully. Pepper ached for her, wanted her home just as badly. She found herself clinging to the phone tightly every time they spoke, wishing she were holding Wanda's hand instead. This was killing her.

"I want you home too," she told her, trying not to sound too needy and make Wanda feel even worse. "Are they treating you okay?"

" _Yes, yes. Vision is very nice. He tried to cook me dinner. It did not go well."_

Pepper smiled at the amusement in her girlfriend's voice.

"Did you actually eat it?" she asked.

" _Are you crazy? I tasted it, that is all. I do not wish to be sick on top of everything else."_

"He means well," Pepper said, holding back laughter.

" _He does. He is a good man. And he is not the worst jailor I have ever had_."

Pepper sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. I've got the best attorneys I can find checking into the Accords..."

" _No, my love,"_ Wanda said softly, and damn it, Pepper suddenly felt tears burn in her eyes. _"You have nothing to apologize for."_

"I hate feeling helpless," Pepper admitted. "I want to fix this, and it's killing me that I can't. Don't know how-"

" _I have to go,"_ Wanda interrupted suddenly, voice tight with tension. _"What is it?"_ she heard Wanda say to someone in the background. Pepper couldn't make out the reply, but thought she heard Vision's voice before the call cut off.

She sat up and stared at her phone, wanting to call Wanda back, worry like a burning iron in her gut, but she just couldn't. Wanda would call her back when she could. She just needed to be patient. Wanda could take care of herself. She'd be okay.

Pepper kept telling herself that.

* * *

Wanda never called her back, and Pepper was frantic. She knew, she _knew_ , Wanda was in trouble. She would've called if she wasn't. Days passed without word, and suddenly she was hearing about some battle at an airport in Germany, and that a few of the Avengers had been arrested, including the "extremely dangerous Scarlet Witch."

No other information was available on what was happening to the Avengers.

When information finally came, it wasn't from Tony, who was still avoiding her calls. It was from Nat, who appeared in her apartment as abruptly as she had when she'd come to retrieve Wanda.

She looked... tired, and there was a tightness to her mouth that betrayed how tense she was. When had Natasha Romanoff become so easy to read? Was she letting Pepper see this? She could only believe that to be true.

"Where the hell is she, Nat? What happened to Wanda?" There was no sense beating around the bush. She had no patience for it at the moment.

"You heard about Leipzig?" She waited for Pepper's terse nod. "She was arrested and taken to the Raft along with Clint, Sam, and whoever the hell Scott Lang is. It's an underwater prison. _The_ underwater prison, exclusively for the worst of the worst, and for enhanced people like Wanda."

"So what happens next? Is there a trial, or-"

"Wanda doesn't get a trial, Pepper. Enhanced people can be held indefinitely without one. They've basically locked her up and thrown away the key. I'm not sure about the others."

Pepper stared at Nat in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Wanda had worried about this very thing. She wished she could find it in herself to comfort Nat, who looked obviously upset at this point, but all she could focus on was the idea she would never see Wanda again. That her beautiful, sweet girlfriend would be locked up in a cell for the rest of her life just for being... different.

"This is crazy," she said. "This cant be real." Nothing felt real at the moment. Her head felt like it was wrapped in cotton.

Nat looked angry, and stepped closer. Pepper wondered distantly if Nat was going to strike her. Was she in shock? She must be in shock. She knew she was in shock.

"Snap out of it!" Nat yelled at her, and yeah, that helped a bit. Grounded her a little. She felt less like she was floating.

"What do we do?" she asked. Nat sighed.

"I need to find Steve and get the others out of the Raft. Knowing him, he's probably already planning to break them out."

"She can't come back here," Pepper whispered to herself. Nat heard her anyway.

"No. She can't. None of them can. We're gonna have to go into hiding." Natasha grimaced.

"You too?" Pepper was surprised.

"I sorta blew my position by helping Steve escape in Germany." Nat smiled ruefully. "Worth it, but we're going to have to disappear for a while."

"Are you here to break the bad news to me that I'm never gonna see the woman I love again, Nat? Is that it?" Bitterness flooded her. The unfairness of it all was too much.

"No," Nat said kindly. "I'm here to help. But I need _your_ help too. We're going to need some financial backing. We're a little too well known to hold down day jobs."

"Anything," Pepper said quickly. "Whatever you need, I'll get it to you. Just get her out of there. I need her, Nat."

"I know." Was that pity or envy on Natasha's face? Maybe both. "I'll contact you soon."

"Hey Nat?"

Natasha paused on her way out the door, looking back at her.

"Be careful."

"Always am," Nat said, giving her a smirk. Then she was gone, and all Pepper could do was wait.

* * *

" _A breach at the Raft prison has been reported. Former Avengers Sam Wilson, Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff, along with ex-convict Scott Lang, were assisted in their escape by Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America. Authorities are asking for the public's help in apprehending these criminals. Should you see them, call the tip hotline, but do not approach. They are to be considered armed and dangerous. No word yet on where they might've been headed_."

Pepper smiled to herself as she watched the broadcast.

* * *

" _Pepper?"_

"Wanda! Oh my god." Pepper's heart flipped at the sound of Wanda's voice, hoarse and exhausted, but still so sweet to her ears.

" _I cannot talk long. Natasha says we will see you soon, though. I miss you."_

"I miss you too. So much," Pepper said. She clung to her phone like a lifeline. A connection to Wanda, finally. She closed her eyes and imagined her lover there. "Are you okay?"

" _I... will be,"_ Wanda said slowly, _"when I can see you again. Do you remember how it was before all of this happened? It seems like so long ago now."_

"I remember," Pepper said, throat tight with tears.

" _I wish we could go back there,"_ Wanda said sadly.

"Me too," Pepper said. The tears rolled down her cheeks and she didn't even try to stop them. "I love you, Wanda."

" _I love you too. And we will be together again,"_ she said, sounding stronger.

"Just be careful. I don't want you to get caught," Pepper told her. "Nothing is worth that." She'd managed to find out a little more about the Raft, and she would give up seeing her girlfriend if it meant Wanda ending up there again.

" _I will be... Yes, Natasha! I am almost done!"_

Pepper had to smile at the exasperation in Wanda's voice. She could just imagine Nat giving her a raised eyebrow and a scowl.

"You should go," she told Wanda.

" _Yes. I will see you soon, my love. I swear it."_

"I believe you." And she did, and that made all the difference.

* * *

Pepper paced the suite anxiously and tried to avoid looking at the clock for the hundredth time until she heard the door open. She rushed to the door when she saw Wanda come through, and then they were in each other's arms for the first time in months, and it felt like coming home.

Wanda was trembling against her, holding her in an embrace almost painfully tight, but Pepper would never dream of complaining. She was _here_ , finally, where she belonged. Nothing else mattered.

She buried her face in Wanda's hair and inhaled her scent, still so familiar, and she could feel tension easing from her body. She ran her hands through Wanda's hair and laughed almost giddily.

"Your hair," she said. "It's so... red."

"Natasha said I needed to change it," Wanda said, her face still buried in Pepper's neck. She could feel Wanda's lips moving against her skin and it made her shiver.

"It looks good on you," Pepper said. She hugged Wanda tighter. "God. _Four months_ , Wanda. Nat has a fucked up idea of what the word 'soon' means." She smiled when Wanda laughed, her whole body shaking with it.

"I think 'soon' meant 'eventually, so just shut up about it,' actually," Wanda said, giggling. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Figures. Nat's a terror."

They stared at each other for a minute, smiles still lingering on their lips. Pepper brushed Wanda's hair back and slowly leaned in, and then Wanda was rushing forward to meet her. They kissed hungrily, Wanda's desperate need pouring fuel on the fire between them, and Pepper embraced it.

They only made it to the bed afterwards.

* * *

Much, much later, as they lay tangled up in bed together, Wanda took Pepper's hand. The room was dark and quiet, and she could feel Wanda's steady heartbeat against her.

"What do we do now? Where do we go from here?" Wanda asked softly.

"I don't know," Pepper admitted. "I just want to be with you for as long as I can." She never wanted to let Wanda go. She'd do whatever it took to make sure she wouldn't have to.

"Keep me forever."

"I promise," Pepper said. "You're my forever. That hasn't changed." She pressed a kiss to Wanda's soft hair.

"I believe you," Wanda said, and Pepper could hear the smile in her voice.

Pepper stared into the darkness with her lover in her arms. Fuck Steve, and fuck Tony, and fuck the Accords. This was all that mattered, this girl and the two of them together. They would find a way.

This was worth it.


End file.
